Page 45 of Smoke and Mirrors

My voice seems to be lost for a moment as I contemplate how to talk to him, how to explain what I’m feeling.

“When I was in the eleventh grade, I cheated on my biology test.” The words come out so quickly that I don’t even know if he can understand them.

“Excuse me?” he asks, one eyebrow raised.

I clear my throat. “When I was—”

“I heard you the first time. I’m just not sure why you’re telling me this?” His voice holds a whisper of amusement now as I stand shyly in the middle of his small living room, confessing my sins.

“I always knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. Some kids struggle to decide what they want to be in the future, but I always knew,” I explain, pacing slightly and avoiding eye contact. “Biology stressed me out. I was okay at it, but I was scared that if I failed the exam, that would be the end of my dreams of working with animals. So I cheated.” I can feel myself slowly moving closer to him, the magnetism something I can’t fight even if I wanted to.

“Lily…”

I shake my head, not wanting him to interrupt until I’m done. I look up, my eyes glistening. “You shared part of yourself with me…” His eyes harden immediately, and his muscles tighten, stretching against the firm-fitting white shirt he’s wearing. “I want to show you that you can trust me by sharing something about me with you.”

A stunning smile comes across his face, and he scratches at the stubble on his chin with his thumb. “You cheated on a test?” His amusement is now clearly evident.

I fold my arms across my chest defensively. “You have no idea. I could have lost everything I was working so hard for if I’d been caught because of one stupid mistake. My whole future down the drain.”

He nods. “I get that.”

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth. He does get it. My secret might mean nothing now, a little piece of my past. But Kace, he risked the future and the lives of him and his men by sharing what he did with me, and all because he wanted to honor a promise he’d made.

“It’s something I’ve kept to myself for a long time, something no one else knows,” I tell him, looking him square in the eye.

He pushes off the wall and walks forward, circling around and studying me.

“I’m still not sure how I feel about all of this… if it is true,” I tell him, my eyes following his body as he moves around me like a predator, sending sparks through my body as he steps in closer.

“Oh, it’s true,” he growls, the deep tone rumbling through me.

My voice turns to a whisper. “I’m scared, Kace. I’m scared of what you can do… what you have done.” My eyes look up, following him as he moves past, my eyes meeting his steely gaze. “But I’m not scared of you.”

I catch the movement, his eyes widening in shock before the mask can cover it. It gives me confidence, and I pull my shoulders back. “I’m being torn to pieces. Part of me wants to run and forget everything you’ve ever said to me, but the other part of me knows I can’t.”

His breathing is becoming heavier with every word I speak, blowing at my hair and tickling my skin, and with every second that passes, my body becomes more electric, more attuned to his.

“I just needed you to know… you can trust me.” With those words, I find myself moving.

Kace’s hands are on me, spinning my body to face him.

I take a step backward, and he advances on me, his eyes burning, lighting me on fire. He meets me step for step until my back hits the wall with a thud. His lips crash with mine, and my hands instantly reach out for him, grasping at his shirt. His fingers run up my side as he devours me, tracing the dip of my waist until he reaches the swell of my breasts.

When he breaks away, I gasp as though he was the source of my oxygen, and I was scared I’d suffocate without him. His lips move to my jaw, and his free hand grasps my ass, his fingers kneading at it almost painfully—possessively.

I pull at his shirt, grasping it so tightly I can feel the stitching pull. My head falls back against the wall as he moves lower, his stubble scratching at the sensitive skin.

“Kace,” I whisper breathlessly.

“You know what the best part is?” he mutters against my neck as his thumb brushes across my now hardened nipple. I grind my hips forward, my body unable to fight the pleasure building inside me. I can feel him smiling now as he tortures me. “The best part is you coming in here and telling me this shit, so fucking innocent, so fucking untainted.”

He’s right.

My secret’s nothing compared to his.

It’s not a threat to national security.

It’s not going to get people killed.

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